1. Why Bike: The Many Benefits of Bicycling

Need motivation to bike, or to support others in bicycling?

Check this list of 20 benefits!

The Salinas youth above experience the pleasures of biking in the Monterey County seat. They know there are multiple benefits of biking—including that it’s just plain fun!

20 Reasons to Bike

(Click blue or bold black text for links.)

Even people who don’t ride a bicycle themselves benefit when more people bike. Among many reasons, bicycling benefits the earth. Bicycling is part of the mix in reducing carbon emissions, as well as reducing oil runoff and other contaminants that flow into the Monterey Bay and other waterways.

Communities are strengthened when more people bike, including because people get to know communities and develop personal connections. As South Monterey County resident Sean Roney said in his 1-minute video, “Social benefits of cycling”: “On a bike, it’s really easy to spread goodwill, because everyone you interact with can hear you and see you. And that’s good for society too, because when everyone is friendly with each other, when you’re able to actually exchange ‘hellos,’ morale of all of society goes up.”

Biking can help keep one young in many ways. Even the oldest bicyclists in this British study reported in the New York Times did not show their age when it came to such things as levels of balance, reflexes, metabolic health, and memory ability.

On a bike, you can have more time to experience a place. You can avoid wasting time, and money, sitting in motor vehicle traffic or looking for parking spaces. And you can cover more ground than if you’re walking, which of course is a nice option too.

Biking gives you a fresh-air workout, and probably a better night’s sleep! That’s especially welcome for kids and others who’ve been cooped up in a car or plane for hours.

Bicycling counter stress of travel through the physical and mental health benefits of biking. A King City resident reported to the Californian: “(Cycling)’s exhilarating. You get out there, get some fresh air, it’s a happy, healthy thing to do. [He] used cycling as one of multiple training methods to help him out of depression. [He] named his bicycle ‘Joy’ for the feeling he gets while riding…it worked wonders for me to combat depression.” (See Ayrton Ostly’s story “World-class cyclists wow crowds as King City hosts Tour of California for first time,” Californian, 5/15/18.)

Even in winter weather in colder parts of the country, people like this young woman realize the health and economic benefits of biking are too good to miss out on! (If you’re biking in Monterey County in winter, see “Rain, cold temps, and more.”)

Need more reasons? Down in SoCal, the West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition offers this summary, “Why we need bikes.”

Mark Martin’s TED talk “Bicycling for Life” includes the reasons given by many youth and adults. Click here, then start at 9:16 for their reasons, or listen to the entire video to hear Mark’s own ideas. (Thanks to Devian Gilbert, a Velo Club Monterey member, for that video link.)

When bicycling, you see and hear things that people in motor vehicles cannot. People on bikes are the eyes and ears of their communities, a sort of “Neighborhood Watch.” Sometimes, their presence is a lifesaver! See Bicycling Monterey’s post “Watchful Eyes” for examples.

Most of the popular coastal routes are virtually flat, with occasional gently rolling terrain. As the youth above and others know so well, the Salinas Valley, too, has lots of flat terrain. That means easier biking, whether you consider yourself in good condition or not.

U.S. Army Captain and Mrs. Jerrod Adams find there’s nothing quite like the joys of biking! And their ride to Pacific Grove includes plenty of flat terrain, which makes towing their children in the bike trailer a piece of cake for these Naval Postgraduate School Cycling Club members.

Lisa Hoch of Eussenhausen, Germany and Stefania Pietraszek cycling with their friends, the Besse family (Jacquelyn, Nicholas, and Lee).

The Besse family knows it’s very worthwhile to bring their bicycles around the Monterey Bay from their Scotts Valley home to enjoy Monterey County’s bike/multi-use paths. Local resident Jeff Perez climbs this neighborhood hill easily.

But if you’re not up for hills, know that most coastal bikeways are flat!

Jim Willoughby of Pacific Grove, pictured below, demonstrates how he keeps his health in check.

“I’ve gotta admit, Jim, my wife was right! The doc loves how my blood pressure is dropping these days. I tell him it’s not just the exercise of my new commute to work, it’s also because I’m not stressed out by traffic!”

Why do you ride?

Watch a 1 minute, 20 second video, “If I Ride,” from People for Bikes for inspiration–along with their new video, “Bikes Make Life Better.” Then share a comment at the end of that post about why you ride. Add your voice to that of others who are speaking up for bicycling in America!

Where to bike

See “Where to Bike” in Monterey County. The Monterey Peninsula has developed terrific bike paths. These are part of the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail, a bikeway about 29 miles long that stretches from Castroville to Pebble Beach. The “Where to Bike” section of this guide includes specific route tips, along with links to maps and other resources, including reports on rides–from locals’ and visitors’ perspectives.

Joshua Santos, an East Bay five-year-old,

about to set off on the Steinbeck Centennial Trail,

one of the off-road bike paths so great for children developing their cycling savvy.

Coastal Trail Rules and Etiquette

Please observe bike/multi-use path guidelines. Click here for an outline on the City of Monterey’s website; once there, you’ll see “Remember these guidelines.” However, it’s easy to miss the additional, more detailed “Rules for Coastal Trail Users“; click on the down arrow to expand the page.